1.  Disease Detection and Surveillance.

1. Daily observation of all animals is performed on a departmental basis by personnel who are qualified to verify the animals’ well being. Typically this is performed by the facility manager or the trained student staff. Any adverse behaviors or signs of distress are reported to the facility manager and the Veterinarian in a timely and accurate fashion. Under the direction of the Attending Veterinarian, the VMTH Field Service, local veterinarian and/or Campus Veterinary Service (CVS) is responsible for the veterinary care of livestock used by UC Davis personnel. Typically, the VMTH Field Service attends to livestock used in an agricultural research and teaching setting and CVS attends to livestock used in a biomedical research setting.
2. When an animal exhibits adverse behaviors, signs of distress, injury, illness or morbidity, the facility manager initiates a Medical Record incorporating the required elements outlined in the IACUC Policy on Medical Records.
3. Facility managers may initiate treatments on common maladies encountered in a production environment. These are outlined for each species in The Herd Health Programs. The Herd Health Programs are developed in conjunction with the facility managers, the clinical veterinarians and the Attending Veterinarian.
4. Regularly scheduled veterinary visits are a requirement for adequate veterinary care and a component of the preventative health care program. The frequency of such visits is at the discretion of the veterinary staff but will occur no less frequently than quarterly. Instances which may require more frequent visits include unexplained animal deaths, disease outbreaks, surgical and postoperative care, and project consultations. At that time it is the responsibility of the facility manager to notify the clinical veterinarian the status of animals currently under going treatment or having completed treatment since the previous visit.
5. Each facility should have established provisions to quarantine diseased animals or newly arrived animals to prevent the spread of pathogens to other animals. The veterinary staff is available for consultation on these matters.
6. Each facility must track the disposition of animals. Completed forms are kept on file with the facility manager.
7. In consultation with the facility managers and investigators, the veterinary staff can prescribe the appropriate treatment or control measures following the diagnosis of an animal injury or disease. When treatment is instituted the facility manager must maintain a Medical Record that documents the diagnosis, treatment, and case resolution.
8. The facilities must make arrangements to provide emergency, weekend and holiday veterinary care. Each facility is responsible for developing a plan to contact the veterinarian regarding emergency, weekend, or holiday care. The emergency contact information must be made available to all personnel and be approved by the Attending Veterinarian.
9. Each facility managers is responsible for developing an emergency disaster plan and providing the Attending Veterinarian with a copy.

2.  Analgesia, Anesthesia and Euthanasia

1. Procedures expected to cause more than slight or momentary pain (e.g., pain in excess of a needle prick or injection) require the appropriate use of pain-relieving measures unless scientifically justified in an approved animal care and use protocol. Similarly, experimental, husbandry or other procedures or situations that produce distress (stress that will alter or have the potential to alter an animal's homeostasis) should be provided either a chemical (anesthetic, tranquilizer, analgesic) means of relief or an alternative method, such as training or acclimatization to reduce the associated distress. Requests for exceptions to the use of analgesics, tranquilizers, anesthetics or non-chemical means of providing relief from pain and/or distress must be scientifically justified by the Principal Investigator and approved by the IACUC. While the IACUC ensures that these procedures are followed, the Attending Veterinarian and the veterinary staff are available for consultation. See the IACUC Guidelines on the Recognition and Alleviation of Pain and Distress.
2. The Attending Veterinarian and veterinary staff is available for consultation on the appropriate use of anesthetics and anesthetic monitoring for research animals. Any use of anesthetics requires documentation in the Medical Record and appropriate monitoring.
3. Acceptable means of euthanasia of research animals are outlined in the AVMA Guidelines on Euthanasia. The Attending Veterinarian and veterinary staff are also available for consultation on the appropriate means of euthanasia.

3.  Surgical Support

1. The Attending Veterinarian and veterinary staff are available for consultations or collaboration on the preoperative, surgical and postoperative procedures performed on research animals. This includes provisions for training personnel in surgical techniques and post operative care of research animals, including pain management. Appropriate anesthetic and post operative records must be maintained for all animals undergoing a surgical procedure.

4.  Animal Well-Being

1. Promoting an animal’s well being before, during and after an experimental procedure is the responsibility of every animal user and is supervised by each facility manager. Facilities are responsible for developing their own husbandry programs to provide for the animals’ well being in accordance with IACUC policies. The Attending Veterinarian and facility managers are available for consultation on appropriate husbandry programs for a wide variety of species.

5.  Appropriate Use of Animals in Research and Teaching

1. The Attending Veterinarian and facility managers provide training to investigators in the proper restraint, dosing techniques, sample collection and appropriate animal use.